Child pornography is material showing children in erotic poses or having sex. It is usually graphic material in the form of drawings, photographs or video, but can be in writing as well. Child pornography that involves real children is a record of child sexual abuse.

Usually, these children are shown or described as being in different stages of undress, with some clothes off, or completely naked.[1][2][3]

Child sexual abuse happens in different ways in the making of child pornography, with the most critical way being the actual molestation. Another way is that, when the act is captured with a camera it makes the abuse worse for the child,[1][2][4][5][6][7][8] just knowing that the event is being recorded for possible future abuse – including extortion (blackmailing) and sharing, out of the victim's control. Linked to that is many of the reasons to why that recording is then – in itself – seen as abuse. One important part of those reasons, is that the recording makes the abuse possible to go on even longer than the direct damage upon the child,[4][7][9] and with the Internet it may very well be seen as permanent. This makes the impact on the child even larger, not knowing – but surely worrying about – how the images might be used.

In both common usage[source?] and for the purpose of research (looking up information), the word "child" in the phrase "child pornography" refers to children before they reach puberty, and does not refer to post-puberty teenagers. For practical reasons, the way the law describes child pornography generally refer to a wider age range, including any pornography involving a minor, according to where the law applies.[9] Most people who own child pornography who are arrested are found to own images of children who have not started puberty; owners of pornographic images of post-puberty minors are less likely to be prosecuted, even though those images also fall within the laws.[9]

Child pornography is looked at and collected by pedophiles for a number of purposes, ranging from private sexual uses, exchanging with other pedophiles, preparing children for sexual abuse as part of the process known as "grooming", or for bribing victims into making more child pornography or going into child prostitution.[17][18][19]

↑ 4.04.1Sheldon, Kerry; Dennis Howitt (2007). Sex Offenders and the Internet. John Wiley and Sons. pp. p9. ISBN0470028009. "... supplying the material to meet this demand results in the further abuse of children. Pictures, films and videos function as a permanent record of the original sexual abuse. Consequently, memories of the trauma and abuse are maintained as long as the record exists. Victims filmed and photographed many years ago will nevertheless be aware throughout their lifetimes that their childhood victimization continues to be exploited perversely."

↑Sheldon, Kerry; Dennis Howitt (2007). Sex Offenders and the Internet. John Wiley and Sons. p. 20. ISBN0470028009. "'Child pornography is not pornography in any real sense; simply the evidence recorded on film or video tape - of serious sexual assaults on young children' (Tate, 1992, p.203) ... 'Every piece of child pornography, therefore, is a record of the sexual use/abuse of the children involved.' Kelly and Scott (1993, p. 116) '... the record of the systematic rape, abuse, and torture of children on film and photograph, and other electronic means.' Edwards(2000, p.1)"

↑Klain, Eva J.; Heather J. Davies, Molly A. Hicks, ABA Center on Children and the Law (2001). Child Pornography: The Criminal-justice-system Response. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. "Because the children depicted in child pornography are often shown while engaged in sexual activity with adults or other children,they are first and foremost victims of child sexual abuse."

↑ 7.07.1Wortley, Richard; Stephen Smallbone. "Child Pornography on the Internet". Problem-Oriented Guides for PoliceNo. 41: p17. "The children portrayed in child pornography are first victimized when their abuse is perpetrated and recorded. They are further victimized each time that record is accessed.".